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Lost HBO over HDMI

As of today, I can no longer watch HBO over HDMI to my television. I get an error message that says "HDMI connection not permitted. Press SELECT for more information." (And pressing Select does nothing.)

Reportedly, HBO is behind this, and it has something to do with my television not being up to date enough to allow for security of the HDMI output.

GAAAAAAAHHHHHH!

HDCP? What the???

According to DirecTV, the major studios mandated this as of April 12, and it was implemented so quickly they didn't even have time to send out a letter.

According to DirecTV, I have to connect my DVR with Component cables in order to be able to watch HBO.

I'm surprised that I'm the first one posting anything about this. I didn't see anything in Google about this.

Just a bit of follow-up. What's confounding is that my television is, according to the manufacturer, HDCP Compliant.

I found a third solution, one referenced in the threads that samrs posted, namely, a powered HDMI splitter.

I'm still questioning whether or not this will correct the problem of having a TV that is supposedly HDCP compliant, yet is failing DIRECTV's HDCP copy protection to insert an HDCP compliant switch between the two.

Please post back how it turns out as I have the same problem on one TV here with the DIRECTV DVRs

I'm still questioning whether or not this will correct the problem of having a TV that is supposedly HDCP compliant, yet is failing DIRECTV's HDCP copy protection to insert an HDCP compliant switch between the two.

Please post back how it turns out as I have the same problem on one TV here with the DIRECTV DVRs

I should have said I found a third solution that works.

I was surprised that it worked. It was only people who had posted the solution here who thought it would. DirecTV isn't interested in saying anything other than to use Component, Toshiba suggested trying a newer, v.1.4 HDMI cable, and Monoprice, the people I bought the splitter from, didn't think the splitter would work.

I was surprised that it worked. It was only people who had posted the solution here who thought it would. DirecTV isn't interested in saying anything other than to use Component, Toshiba suggested trying a newer, v.1.4 HDMI cable, and Monoprice, the people I bought the splitter from, didn't think the splitter would work.

So which splitter did you ultimately get from the post in the other thread on the General DIRECTV forum? Or will either suffice since the first does not specifically mention HDCP compatibility in the specs. for it?

I have to say that I love answers like these because they are devoid of anything that is convincing.

Person A: Asserts that X is truePerson B: Asserts that Y is true, and X is falsePerson C: Asserts that Z is true and the X and Y is falsePerson D: Asserts that Y is false

None of them offer any reasoning or facts that can back up their claims, so what I am supposed to believe?

Not sure how you want me to "prove" this. It's just a cable, making a series of electrical connections from one device to another. HDCP is a copy protection protocol, which is based on a series of messages sent by one device to another. The cable has no idea what messages are being sent between the devices. The HDCP "failure" occurs when the DirecTv box sends messages to the TV saying "prove to me you are HDCP compliant by sending me the correct response to these messages. ". If the TV sends back the wrong answer, HDCP is determined to have failed and so the DirecTV box shuts off the output. It's basically as simple as that. The cable is irrelevant.

HDCP is a ring tailed beast. Someone earlier mentioned Toshiba and I had more issues with HDCP in the early days with them.

Chances are if you are having these errors now your native HDMI interface running on your monitorTV could experience similar issues with other enhancements on any HDMI connected device.

The standards exist,but he vendors choose which parts of the spec they will implement. HDMI 1.1 was pretty touch and go. By the time it hit 1.3 it was pretty stable though I still have one Toshiba that is on 1.3 and it flakes on audio on IPL situations from time to time. I blame that on Toshiba.

Most current HDMI equipped devices are being shipped with 1.3 or 1.4 the latter being the current 3D spec requirement.

Before you spend money on a solution unplug the TV (no power to the chassis) then plug back in, start the TV let it come up then start the sat box and see if the handshake works. I had a Toshiba DLP set that forced me to that on numerous occasions. I put an in line switch between it and the power center so I could just kill power instead of having to fish wit the plug itself.

I gave that set away eventually but once I learned how to ensure a proper handshake, I no longer had HDCP errors.

HDCP is the High Definition Copy Protection protocol that protects the media owners from perfect quality bootlegging. It prevents us honest folk from having a completely seamless interface while the dedicated croks can bypass or emulate it. Does more damage to the customers IMO.

No certantities about that working. But it certainly did in my specific case.

Don "Half Defined Color Picture" Bolton

i got 1 more question about this, as people tv get older will people run this problem? or is this a one time deal?

Not sure how you want me to "prove" this. It's just a cable, making a series of electrical connections from one device to another. HDCP is a copy protection protocol, which is based on a series of messages sent by one device to another. The cable has no idea what messages are being sent between the devices. The HDCP "failure" occurs when the DirecTv box sends messages to the TV saying "prove to me you are HDCP compliant by sending me the correct response to these messages. ". If the TV sends back the wrong answer, HDCP is determined to have failed and so the DirecTV box shuts off the output. It's basically as simple as that. The cable is irrelevant.

Didn't ask for proof... just asked for more than assertion. Now you've done that and you have added more to the discussion than DirecTV, Toshiba and Monoprice did. Thank you.

HDCP is a ring tailed beast. Someone earlier mentioned Toshiba and I had more issues with HDCP in the early days with them.

Chances are if you are having these errors now your native HDMI interface running on your monitorTV could experience similar issues with other enhancements on any HDMI connected device.

The standards exist,but he vendors choose which parts of the spec they will implement. HDMI 1.1 was pretty touch and go. By the time it hit 1.3 it was pretty stable though I still have one Toshiba that is on 1.3 and it flakes on audio on IPL situations from time to time. I blame that on Toshiba.

Most current HDMI equipped devices are being shipped with 1.3 or 1.4 the latter being the current 3D spec requirement.

Before you spend money on a solution unplug the TV (no power to the chassis) then plug back in, start the TV let it come up then start the sat box and see if the handshake works. I had a Toshiba DLP set that forced me to that on numerous occasions. I put an in line switch between it and the power center so I could just kill power instead of having to fish wit the plug itself.

I gave that set away eventually but once I learned how to ensure a proper handshake, I no longer had HDCP errors.

HDCP is the High Definition Copy Protection protocol that protects the media owners from perfect quality bootlegging. It prevents us honest folk from having a completely seamless interface while the dedicated croks can bypass or emulate it. Does more damage to the customers IMO.

No certantities about that working. But it certainly did in my specific case.

Don "Half Defined Color Picture" Bolton

This is essentially what the advanced technical support people at DirecTV suggested to me (unplug the TV and plug it back in, then reset the receiver). I haven't had the chance to try this yet, but I will, even though the splitter suggestion worked. I want to be able to tell DirecTV I tried what they asked.

This is essentially what the advanced technical support people at DirecTV suggested to me (unplug the TV and plug it back in, then reset the receiver). I haven't had the chance to try this yet, but I will, even though the splitter suggestion worked. I want to be able to tell DirecTV I tried what they asked.

Resetting the box (DVR) would likely have 0 effect. It's most likely that the handshake for the HDMI/HDCP connection has to happen in a certain sequence or it may spew HDCP errors.

In my case I only needed to remove all power from the TV to get it back to possibly working next try. You may need to try having the DVR set to that channel before powering out the TV so when it does handshake with the DVR it will do so with HDCP in operation.

Don "I returned several perfectly good DVD players till I discovered it was my TV that was the problem" Bolton

This is essentially what the advanced technical support people at DirecTV suggested to me (unplug the TV and plug it back in, then reset the receiver). I haven't had the chance to try this yet, but I will, even though the splitter suggestion worked. I want to be able to tell DirecTV I tried what they asked.

Resetting the box (DVR) would likely have 0 effect. It's most likely that the handshake for the HDMI/HDCP connection has to happen in a certain sequence or it may spew HDCP errors.

I have to disagree, in my case, powering off the DVR has fixed the issue. I started seeing the "HDCP" message when I was watching an HBO/Max channel, then I would switch from 1 HBO/MAX channel to another, which I though was weird. Powering off/on the DVR fixed the issue, re-establishing the HDMI Handshake (I'm assuming). I would think there has to be some sort of software bug... somewhere...

Okay: with no promises that this will work for anyone else, since I haven't a clue why this solution works and merely followed the advice to get a powered HDMI-Splitter (HDCP compliant), this is the one I bought, and has worked for me*.

I haven't even been powering it, since it seems to be working without the power plugged into it. Perhaps that is because I'm not actually splitting the HDMI signal?

Yesterday, a few times when I turned on the TV, the color was strange (very yellow). I found that switching the input and putting the DVR into standby and back corrected the issue. This may or may not be related to item #1, the fact that I haven't plugged in the splitter's power adapter.

When first connecting the splittler, it didn't display anything on the screen when I used position 1 in the splitter, but it did for position 2.

Again, no promises that it will work for anyone else.

Edited by bldxyz, 30 April 2012 - 11:44 AM.made what I said a little clearer

HBO should just be grateful that millions of cable/satellite subscribers who DON'T watch their channel are effectively 'subsidizing' or paying for HBO anyway, because of how cable/satellite are sold in bundles with several hundred channels. Isn't that effectively a form reverse piracy, HBO stealing money from people with no interest in watching HBO?

Edited by jamer81, 19 July 2012 - 01:28 PM.

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